Space around HT Receiver

[Dan Stuewe]

My wife gave me permission to enter the world of Home Theater. We already have an armour style EC, but I'll need to build a shelf for the TV so the receiver can go under it. The only info I've found on the space a receiver needs is one line in a recent Consumer Reports saying they need 2" above. That cuts it pretty close and would limit future TV upgrades, so I've looked for other references. But of course, I haven't found any. Is there a good reference for this type of info?

(BTW, I'm looking at the Panasonic SA-HE100 (CR Best Buy) at around 6" tall)

[Keith Starosta]

My wife gave me permission to enter the world of Home Theater. We already have an armour style EC, but I'll need to build a shelf for the TV so the receiver can go under it. The only info I've found on the space a receiver needs is one line in a recent Consumer Reports saying they need 2" above. That cuts it pretty close and would limit future TV upgrades, so I've looked for other references. But of course, I haven't found any. Is there a good reference for this type of info?

(BTW, I'm looking at the Panasonic SA-HE100 (CR Best Buy) at around 6" tall)

Dan,
Check your PM's...

Keith

[Chris Padilla]

My wife gave me permission to enter the world of Home Theater. We already have an armour style EC, but I'll need to build a shelf for the TV so the receiver can go under it. The only info I've found on the space a receiver needs is one line in a recent Consumer Reports saying they need 2" above. That cuts it pretty close and would limit future TV upgrades, so I've looked for other references. But of course, I haven't found any. Is there a good reference for this type of info?

(BTW, I'm looking at the Panasonic SA-HE100 (CR Best Buy) at around 6" tall)


Dan, I am starting the design process for an EC and I, too, am a bit worried about cooling for my HT/electronics. I have been looking into some <$100 (most are <$50) thermostatically-controlled fans. At this time, I am not sure if I want to blow air over the electronics or used the fan to exhaust hot air (thereby pulling air form the room). Most of these fans are reversible. Google "window fans" and you'll get a myriad of stuff.

The wall my EC will be on is an outside wall so I am a bit lucky in that fact.

Chris

[Dave Malen]

Dan,
For my project I'm using a small fan that I got a rockler.com
Also Fine Woodworking has an article on designing entertainment centers. You might modify the back of your center like the design in the Fine Woodworking article. (not sure of the issue) The author uses a system of overlapping panels with the center panel set back for wiring and ventilation.

Dave

[Herb Blair]

Dan,
You could go down to about 1/2" if you could install a muffin fan in the rear to remove heat. Heat is a killer of electronics, so you want to keep your receiver as cool as possible. I've installed 115V muffin fans before, and put a large wattage dropping resistor in series with the fan to slow it down a bit and also it reduces the noise to nill.

Herb


My wife gave me permission to enter the world of Home Theater. We already have an armour style EC, but I'll need to build a shelf for the TV so the receiver can go under it. The only info I've found on the space a receiver needs is one line in a recent Consumer Reports saying they need 2" above. That cuts it pretty close and would limit future TV upgrades, so I've looked for other references. But of course, I haven't found any. Is there a good reference for this type of info?

(BTW, I'm looking at the Panasonic SA-HE100 (CR Best Buy) at around 6" tall)

[Kurt Aebi]

First and foremost, use the fan for Exhaust. And keep it high in the cabinet, drawing cooler air from low in the cabinet and exhausting the hot air out the top od the cabinet.

I am an electrical equipment designer for DC motor controls and the transistors used on the drive boards could heat some small cities, so ventilation is a must. I am in ni way an expert, but have a little experiance in this "cooling" stuff. As Bob Pease would say - "What is All This Cooling Stuff...Anyway?"

1. Never force air into electronics, you will embed dust into the unit and dust is an electronics killer (traps heat around the IC's and Heat disipation from the IC's is a must)

2. Drawing air across the electronic circuits will cool the IC's & transistors and will help move the dust out of the unit.


Each of your electronic items will have built in vent holes, som eon the bottom and some on the top or the top of the rear panel. Design your air flow system around these. For example; if the vent holes on the bottom are towards the front of the unit and the top vents are towards the back, setup your air inlet low towards the front and mount your exhaust fan high towards the back, and so-forth.

You don't need gaping openings to accomplish this either, more than enough air can enter through less than a 1/8" gap between the front of your shelf and the cabinet face, for example.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Kurt

[Chris Padilla]

Hi Kurt,

Good sound advice...exactly what I was looking for in my design. Now I have a better idea how/where to mount a fan and to use it to pull air from the room and exhaust it elsewhere (outside in my case...maybe). The air in the room should be plenty cool enough to help carry away some of the heat the electronics generate.

I think that most home electronics are designed to be cooled by natural convection and don't necessarily assume decent air movement so if you can put some air movement around/through them (forced convection), they should last that much longer.

Chris